1991First online aircraft maintenance information system in the airline industry, called Technical Operations Publishing System (TOPS).

1992 First U.S. airline with moving maps in the cabin showing aircraft’s position and route.

1993Delta Connection is the first program to use regional jets in North America.

1993 First airline to publish business events immediately throughout its enterprise, such as passenger checking in, bag being scanned at each point of its travel, a flight pulls out from the gate, or a flight arrives. Hundreds of millions of events that happen every day are shared via Delta's Digital Nervous System (DNS).

1993 First airline with Web-based access to real-time flight operations and passenger information, including the first Flight Diverted displays that show actual locations of diverted flights, particularly critical during the U.S. air traffic grounding after terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

1994First airline to install Gate Informational Display Screens (GIDS) in airports, made possible by the development of Delta's DNS in 1993.

1994Introduces Rapid Redemption, the airline industry's first program allowing frequent flyers to instantly redeem mileage for free tickets or upgrades.

1994 First airline with extensive use of robotic technology for handling cargo when Delta's new international cargo building opened in Atlanta. Cargo was automatically weighed, stored, retrieved and routed within the facility using 24 automated guided vehicles.

1995First U.S. airline to fly smoke-free worldwide, when Delta banned smoking on all its flights. (Muse Air was first U.S. airline to fly smoke-free from 1982-1985.)

1996First airline to offer live broadcast television programming. See our blog post.

1997First airline to board more than 100 million passengers in a year.

1997First airline to offer spa cuisine, partnering with chefs from health resorts in the U.S. and Europe. See this Delta NewsDigest Nov. 7, 1997 article (PDF).

1998Delta and SwissCargo forge the first international cargo alliance.

1998First airline to install automatic defibrillators on board all of its aircraft.

2000Delta enhances its Digital Nervous System (an airline "first" in 1993) with the airline industry's first commercial messaging, making it easier to send customers proactive information, such as flight changes caused by weather events.

2000 Develops a new Customer Care system for gates and boarding processes, based on a new Cornerstone Gate Processing software application, which receives a Computerworld Smithsonian Award. The new system tracks the status of every seat on a flight, whether it is sold, reserved, if the passenger has checked in and whether they have boarded. It shortens flight boarding times and improves customer service and security.

2003 First U.S. airline with prerecorded audio flight information at the gate.

2003 Delta’s Technical Operations in Atlanta is first in the airline industry to achieve OSHA Star status for exemplary record of occupational employee safety and health.

2006 First major airline with in-seat, on-demand movies, games and live TV on a large portion of its domestic fleet, beginning with flights between JFK and the West Coast.

2007First U.S. airline to offer customers the opportunity to help offset carbon emissions associated with air travel.

2007First airline with a comprehensive onboard recycling program for aluminum cans, newspapers, snack containers and water bottles.

2008 First U.S. airline to announce In-flight Wi-Fi for its domestic mainline fleet; Wi-Fi goes live on Delta Shuttle flights on December 16.

2009Only U.S. airline (since Pan Am) to serve six continents with introduction of nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia.

2010 First U.S. airline to offer real-time customer support through Twitter. Initially, six agents provided rebooking, flight information, airport details and other services through the @DeltaAssist handle.

2010Launches airline industry's first social media "ticket window," allowing customers to purchase tickets directly from Facebook and other social media sites. The app was decommissioned in 2012.

2010 Delta is the only U.S. airline with single-booking service for commercial and private jet service, through subsidiary Delta Private Jets.

2011 SkyMiles mileage expiration ends; Delta is only major U.S. carrier without mileage expiration for loyalty program members.

2011First major carrier to allow customers to track their checked bags from check-in, aircraft loading and arrival at baggage claim.

2012Purchases an oil refinery, becoming first airline to produce its own jet fuel.

2013Delta Cargo launches Logistics Manager software for real-time tracking of all freight, an industry first for passenger airlines.

Delta first to submit plan to allow customer use of portable electronic devices below 10,000 feet as early as Nov. 1 - Oct 31, 2013

2013 First to announce that customers can use their portable electronic devices below 10,000 feet on November 1. On December 9, Delta is first mainline carrier to allow PED use below 10,000 ft. to passengers traveling on mainline and regional aircraft.

2014 First U.S. carrier with full flat-bed seats and direct aisle access in BusinessElite on all widebody international flights

2016First U.S. carrier to deploy Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology, providing customers with improved real-time tracking of luggage throughout the travel experience. RFID bag tags and tracking technology will replace barcode hand scanning - the industry standard since the early 1990s. 2016Real-time bag tracking via the Fly Delta mobile app. Customers now have a map view of their bag's last scanned location, tapping on pins and a suitcase icon to follow their bag's journey and to access text information about the location of their bag. Delta was the first airline to offer this level of visibility.

2016 Delta’s Flight Weather Viewer app provides pilots with real-time graphics of turbulence observations and forecasts on the flight deck. Setting Delta’s app apart from similar technology, the data is customized by aircraft type and is available in real time via Gogo’s in-flight Wi-Fi network, instead of through the traditional ACARS digital datalink system in place since the late 1970s.

2016 Delta is the first U.S. airline to offer a spa at its airport lounge (Seattle in October, then New York-JFK in December)

2017 Opens first biometric self service bag drop in the U.S. Four self service machines at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) allow customers to check their own bags; one of the machines is used to test facial recognition technology to match customers with their passport photos through identification verification, a first for U.S. carriers.